Sabrage is a technique to open a bottle of cava with a sword. But in fact, you don’t even need a sword to do the sabrage, it can be done with a knife or a glass. It only takes a little skill, a bottle of cava and a lot of enthusiasm.
Our winemaker Marta Casas shows you how to do it:
Steps to follow:
- Choose a bottle of Cava such as Brut Nature or Blanca Cusiné.
- Make sure that the temperature of the bottle is adequate: between 8-10ºC
- Remove the capsule and the muzzle that protects the cork from the cava bottle.
- Find the seam line that follows a vertical line from the base of the bottle to the neck.
- With the arm extended and taking the bottle by its base, create an angle of about 30º with respect to the body.
- Slide the knife or glass several times over the neck of the bottle to create friction and the pressure inside the bottle does its job.
- Keep sliding quickly and continuously until you reach the neck of the bottle.
- Et voilà! The cork is out and the party can start.
Be careful when carrying out this process, it may take some risk. If you are not sure about doing it, come visit us and we will be happy to show you.
Legends say that Napoleon himself used the sword to open Champagne bottles when he celebrated his victories. Others say that this technique was implanted by Napoleon’s soldiers, before going into battle.
But perhaps the most romantic is the one that speaks of Madame Clicquot Ponsardin, a young 27-year-old widow, heir to her husband’s vineyards and who used to receive Napoleon’s officers, who usually opened their champagne bottles with their swords to impress the young widow.
